Institute, W. Va. -- West Virginia State split a doubleheader against Salem on Saturday at Cal Bailey Field, dropping the opener 6-0 before securing a 7-6 comeback win in the second game.

In Game 1, WVSU was limited to two hits in a shutout loss. Salem scored four runs in the second inning and added two more in the sixth. Reese Rinna started the scoring with a leadoff double and later came home on a groundout. Aidan McMurdo and Jose Lojo added RBI singles in the frame. Two unearned runs in the sixth gave Salem a six-run lead. Sam Schmitt threw a complete-game shutout for the Tigers, striking out seven and walking one.Cam Reed took the loss for the Yellow Jackets, allowing three runs on four hits in 1.1 innings. Riley Vadasz and JT Fabian combined for 6.1 innings of relief, with Tyrus Baumgardner finishing the game with a scoreless inning.

In Game 2, West Virginia State scored three runs in the first and three more in the fifth to erase a 6-4 deficit. Nathan Paulsen hit an RBI double and later scored on a two-run single by Connor Fizer in the first. After Salem scored six runs in the top of the fourth, WVSU responded in the fifth with a run-scoring double from Tyler Overaitis, an RBI single from Fizer, and a sacrifice fly from Ethan Spolarich to tie the game.

The Yellow Jackets held the lead behind 2.0 scoreless innings from Brandon Morrison, who earned the save. Tyrus Baumgardner recorded the win in relief. Michael Bittinger led WVSU with three hits in the second game, while Brodie Guenther added two hits and a walk. Fizer finished with three RBIs.